The top three vehicle brands imported last year into Moldova were Toyota, Dacia, and Volkswagen, in this order, whereas ten years ago the most preferred brands were Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Renault. Last year, Moldova imported 34,700 vehicles; 27,000 of them were automobiles, by over nine thousand more than in 2010.
In a response to IPN, the Public Services Agency said that Germany has remained the leading country of origin, and whereas in 2010 it was followed by the Netherlands and Italy, last year it was Switzerland and France, respectively.
Most imported vehicles, over 19,000, are six to ten years old. Diesel powered engines are the most preferred. Whereas in 2010 zero hybrid electric cars were imported, last year their number exceeded 3,400. The first fully electric car was imported in 2013, and the number has steadily grown to 46 in 2018.
The top ten brands of 2018 also included Mercedes, Renault, Ford, Škoda, Nissan, Opel, and Hyundai. Besides passenger cars, Moldovans also import trucks, buses and motorcycles.